The Secret Keeper (2012) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 4 stars

“Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-secret-keeper.html

The Secret Keeper is the story of Dorothy or Dolly, Vivien, and Jimmy. Laurel is Dorothy's daughter. As a teenager, she witnesses a tragic incident that influences her greatly as she grows up. As an adult and as her mother nears death, Laurel delves into that secret and her mother's past. What emerges is the mystery of Dorothy's life.

The book alternates between present day and the war and Blitz in London when Dolly, Vivien, and Jimmy are all young. Through the limited clues that Laurel discovers and the story of the past as it is told, we learn of the relationship between these three people and how that eventually leads to the tragedy that Laurel witnesses.

Kate Morton is a masterful storyteller. I have loved all the book the books I have read by her. This one is no different. The book completely draws you into the past and lives of Dolly, Vivien, and Jimmy. Even though the book goes back and forth between that past and Laurel's search, the story remains immersed in the past. The interludes to the present allow the reader to catch their breath before delving back in.

Interestingly, about half way through the book, I guessed where it was going and what the secret truly was. However, it did not matter and did not detract from the book. I kept reading because I wanted to see how the story was going to get there.

A beautifully told story even though the secret ends up not being that surprising. I can't wait to see what Kate Morton writes next.”

• Rated 5 stars

“To be sixteen, to witness a murder, and to keep it a secret your entire life? When would Laurel find out the "real" reason for the murder. After fifty years, she needed to ask, but could she really find the answer? She had to. Time was running out.

Set in England and moving from the 1930's to 2011, you will follow Laurel as she continues to keep this secret and attempts to find out why her mother stabbed a visitor on her brother's birthday. Did the baby see or remember anything? Could that be possible? What if he did remember? Laurel, her father, and her mother were the only ones that were supposed to know, but were they?

The storyline is intriguing and the descriptions are amazing as you go back and forth in time to see what Laurel's mother's life was like as a child and also as a young adult and what life was like for Laurel, her sisters, and her brother as they grew up on a quaint farm in a loving family. Dorothy, Laurel's mother, lead a very significant life and had interesting people in her life that shaped her and her decisions.

The book seamlessly moves between time periods giving creative details of each era in the characters' lives and has you wanting to know more. An amazing storyline that keeps you guessing about the real reason for the murder and one that makes you want to be a part of the story in order to be part of the life the characters lead in each decade of their lives.

Finding out about her mother's motives and life before she was married was a goal Laurel was determined to solve before her mother died, and her mother is the only one who could give the answers to many questions, but could their dying mother tell all? Once clues about Dorothy's past begin to surface, you will be as anxious as Laurel was to find out other secrets her mother kept to herself all her life and secrets that caused her mother to commit murder.

This book was marvelous and captivating as all of Kate Morton's books, and the ending is absolutely SUPERB.

I thoroughly enjoyed the walk through Laurel's life and the flashbacks to her mother's life. Don't miss this book or any book Kate Morton has written...you will be taken away with her exceptional writing and fantastic storytelling skills as she weaves lives and situations together into incredible books. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge by the publisher in return for an honest review.”

• Rated 4 stars

“I give this 4 1/2 stars because there was a sluggish period at the beginning but when that passed, it became a page turner and I totally loved it.
It kept me guessing till the last sentence and had nice twists and turns. Great characters wonderful story. ”

• Rated 3 stars

“Quick synopsis:
In 1961, when Laurel Nicolson was sixteen, she witnessed a shocking event. She and her mother were the only ones who knew the truth, and they never spoke of it. Fast-forward to 2011. Laurel is a famous actress in her sixties, and her mother Dorothy is dying. Before her mother dies, Laurel wants to uncover the roots of that long-ago shocking event. Her investigation takes her back to the London of 1941, when her mother was young and impulsive and full of secret plans. The story alternates between 2011 and 1941, following Laurel's discoveries about the mother she thought she knew.

Kate Morton has a wild imagination and the heart of a romantic. She creates intricately plotted stories full of tragedy and betrayal and lost loves and second chances. Her characters are colorful, and they'll always trip you up as you stumble over their secrets, that said, I didn't love this book as much as "the Forgotten Garden". It had too many tangents, and in an odd way, almost too many twists and turns. But still, not a bad read.”

• Rated 3 stars

“Really complex, sometimes overwrought, but I couldn't put it down.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Awesome book. One of the best I've read. Love the suspense. Used all mt comprehension skills!!!”

• Rated 5 stars

“Loved this book! I will read all of Kate Morton's books.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Summary:
Overall, I really really really really really liked it. Which is typical of me with a Kate Morton book. I think this book is worth 5/5 stars and a favourite (no surprise there) and I'm already impatiently waiting for another book by this author to make its way into my post office box (probably in a year or so). I think it was just awesome (excuse the dribble) and that I'd love to know what happens to the younger generations in her books.

Full Review: http://quirkygirllikesvintage.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/review-secret-keeper-by-kate-morton.html”

• Rated 5 stars

“What a wonderful book! Contemporary character Laurel witnesses a crime as a child, and, as an adult, feels compelled to search for answers that can only be found in her mother's past. The story weaves the present, the past in pre-WWII England (one of my favorite times), and the blitz. The author brings the characters, places, and times to vivid life. Are there consequences for our actions, and can we undo them? Can people change as a result? Can there be atonement? An unforgettable story of friends, lovers, deception, and passion. -Laurel, Reference

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• Rated 4 stars

“Once again, a great story== takes place in dual lives: a mother & her secrets during World War II London & her daughter 50 yrs. later, a famous British actress. Why did Lauren's mom kill the man who showed up at their house in 1961 to see her? And how does this affect 16 yr old Lauren as she witnesses it? When her mom is dying, Lauren finds clue after clue abt what may hv happened so long ago & why her wonderful mom could possibly commit murder... As usual, the ending is a surprise, the character's deep secrets kept until the very last to keep you guessing. You look back & think, the clues were there, just didn't realize that's what it was. GOOD writing and engaging main characters with depth & feeling & recognizable thought processes. I kind of sped thru this one, now I can't wait for the next!”